A Man Who Lost Confidence, to a Gentle Chastity-Reversed World - Chapter 3: Searching for Clues in Conversation

Chapter 3: Searching for Clues in Conversation

Who is this woman who entered my room?

A person wearing an apron, knocking before entering, surely isn’t a burglar or thief. Considering her clothes and way of speaking, she’s probably not someone of high status—maybe a housekeeper or maid.

A dream where I’m a high school student, and a maid comes to wake me up. That’s probably the gist of it.

I’ve never really thought about this as a fetish I’d like, but maybe it’s something buried in my subconscious. As I look at her, feeling a bit curious, she just seems anxious, waiting for my response.

Her anxious face is kind of cute, I catch myself thinking. But I’m the one who’s been hurt time and again, failing to have light, witty conversations with women. Even in a dream, I can’t become the kind of guy who’s confident enough to take charge.

I conclude that I can only try to figure her out little by little. Even in a dream, I’m overly cautious, cowardly.

“…Good morning… um, breakfast or something…?”

I don’t know the right expression to use, so I try a smile, but anxiety hits me—will this smile make her uncomfortable? That’s right, my face hasn’t changed.

As I grow scared that I messed up, the woman in front of me responds.

“…H-huh? Oh, um… g-good morning!”

Her expression looks startled, and she’s stumbling over her words a bit. It’s good that she didn’t ignore me, but why is she so nervous?

It’s not like we’re meeting for the first time today, so maybe she’s surprised because I greeted her? Perhaps the guy I am in this dream never greeted her before, and my sudden greeting threw her off.

But I know better than to think, “She greeted me, so maybe we can get along.” That kind of hope is a trap, like the fleeting joy I’ve felt in real-life relationships. It only leads to disappointment.

I know that when someone greets me, they’re just checking if I’m harmless. Understanding this helps me keep my heart calm, so I can’t let myself hope.

Even so, the woman doesn’t say anything more, and I start to feel scared again.

“Um, so…”

I try to start something, and she hurriedly responds.

“Oh, s-sorry! Um, it’s time for breakfast, and your mother and Yuki-sama are waiting at the table, so please come quickly!”

As expected, she’s not my mother. And, as expected, she’s urging me to have breakfast with my family.

I set aside her occasional stumbles in speech for now. She’s probably a maid, but I don’t know if it’s okay to ask. For now, I decide to go with the flow of this dream until I wake up.

I wonder if breakfast in a dream has any taste, but for now, my goal is to leave the room.